A third-country national must apply for a visa at the consulate of the competent Schengen state in whose territorial competence the applicant legally resides.
How to determine consular territorial competence? |
If the third-country national, who intends to travel to Latvia, legally resides in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan or Afganistan, he or she must lodge their visa application at the Embassy of Latvia in Tashkent.
The Embassy of Latvia in Uzbekistan also accepts visa applications from third-country nationals who legally reside in Uzbekistan and intend to travel to Estonia, Lithuania and Hungary. Please be informed that the Embassy of Latvia in Uzbekistan represents Estonia, Lithuania and Hungary only in the issuance of short stay visas (uniform visa, visa with limited territorial validity and airport transit visa) with a duration of no more than three months in any six-month period from the date of first entry in the territory of Schengen Member State.
If the third-country national, who intends to travel to Latvia, legally resides in the state without a Latvian Diplomatic and Consular Mission, but there is other Schengen Member State representing Latvia in the issuance of Schengen visas, he or she must lodge their visa application at this responsible Diplomatic and Consular Mission of the other Schengen Member State. Please be informed that the Diplomatic and Consular Missions of other Schengen Member States represent Latvia only in the issuance of short stay visas (uniform visa, visa with limited territorial validity and airport transit visa) with a duration of no more than three months in any six-month period from the date of first entry in the territory of Schengen Member State.
How to determine the competent state? |
A foreigner wishing to obtain a Schengen visa must apply at the representation of the competent state. The "competent state" is the state competent for deciding on a visa application, and is a state whose territory constitutes the sole destination of the visit.
If the visit includes more than one destination, the competent state is the one whose territory constitutes the main destination of the visit(s) in terms of the length or purpose of stay.
But if the main destination cannot be established, the responsible state shall be the first state the border of which a foreigner has planned to cross in order to enter the Schengen Area.
If the purpose of the visit is transit, and the transit will take place through only one Member State, the competent state is the Member State concerned. In the case of transit through several Member States, the competent state is the Member State the external border of which the foreigner intends to cross when starting the transit.
If a foreigner requires an airport transit visa, it is issued by the representation of the Member State on whose territory the transit airport is situated. In the case of double or multiple airport transit, the competent state is the Member State whose external border the foreigner has planned to cross in order to enter the Schengen area.